St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath Councils are looking at charging £35 a year for a brown bin for garden waste following changes to services across the county.

St Edmundsbury’s cabinet will looks at either charging for a brown bin or having to find up to £500,000 a year more across both councils at its meeting on Tuesday. Forest Heath’s cabinet will look at the matter on September 15.

This follows changes to the amount Suffolk will pay to district councils to support collecting organic waste for recycling.

Cllr Peter Stevens, St Edmundsbury cabinet member responsible for waste management, said: “It is an incredibly tough decision to take because nobody welcomes paying extra for a service and we have taken it very reluctantly.” He added the council would do all it could to support home composting where appropriate. Full council will decide on the matter on September 22.